Are Credit Cards Subsequent To A Bankruptcy Filing Dangerous?

By Tom Boss

In spite of the stigma and possible embarrassment of filing for bankruptcy, many folks have mitigating circumstances that make it often their only option to bypass repeated court proceedings against them. One thing that often worries these people is the obtaining of a Credit Card after Bankruptcy.

Neither the less, there are some financial companies that have no trouble offering to issue a person a credit card after bankruptcy, although usually with a higher interest rate and annual fees attached.

One the reasons companies will offer a credit card after bankruptcy is the fact that a person cannot file for bankruptcy for at least seven years after the initial action has been discharged.

Thanks to this credit card companies have a legal recourse to use to collect any debts the credit card holder may end up with. Credit card debts are normally unsecured, however when someone cannot file bankruptcy, wage attachment can be used by the company to get back their money.

There are numerous dangers is obtaining a credit card after bankruptcy, beyond the usually higher interest rate, as charges for being late with a payment as well as annual fees can quickly put the person into a bad credit risk again.

Many companies offering a credit card after bankruptcy offer it as a help in rebuilding a credit rating and even with annual fees as well as processing fees, sometimes equaling the initial credit limit, people take them out hoping to get back on their financial feet.

For some things quickly get worse and worse

Unfortunately, if you have a credit card after bankruptcy, and the initial fees, for example, are $290, and their initial credit limit is $300, being even a day late with the payment will result in a late fee of, on average, $30.

But it gets worse; all this will push your liability up to $320 which in turn will give you an additional $30 fee because you were over your limit. Now you would have a $350 debt.

On top of all this since you have failed at this point in your obligations, your interest rate on your card can very quickly go to the maximum allowed by law.

There really is no way out either, with the exception of paying the balance on the credit card. Quite a lot of companies demand that the payment be made within 30 days and if that does not happen you would face collection action.

This can include anything from daily phone calls to court proceedings and wage garnishment. Once this happens, getting out of debt from that one credit card after bankruptcy can take years to clear up.

So there you have it, is it possible? Yes. But is it advisable? That is obviously going to depend on your ability to keep in check with payments and just how much you really need a credit card after bankruptcy. - 23217

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